Father gets 10 years in toddler's methadone overdose

Anthony Casillas was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to child abuse after his 2-year-old son overdosed on methadone in 2011. The child is alive today. (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)

PHOENIX (CBS5) -

The father of a 2-year-old child who overdosed on methadone at a Phoenix hotel nearly two years ago was sentenced to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised probation Friday for child abuse and attempted child abuse.

Anthony Gabriel Casillas, 39, was one of three people who pleaded guilty to charges surrounding the toddler's overdose at a Motel 6 at Interstate 17 and Northern Avenue on Oct. 23, 2011.

Casillas, Jennifer Campos, 26, and Misty Dawn Murphy, 36, were all charged with giving the boy a mixture of Kool-Aid and methadone, allegedly to ease pain from swollen gums and rotting teeth, according to court documents.

Campos pleaded guilty to child abuse and attempted child abuse and was sentenced in January to 10 years in prison and lifetime probation.

Murphy pleaded guilty to attempted child abuse.

Casillas, Campos and their three children were running from Child Protective Services, staying at various motels around the Valley to prevent CPS from taking custody of their children, the documents said.

When police and fire crews arrived at the motel at I-17 and Northern Avenue on Oct. 23, emergency crews found the boy not breathing and rushed him to the hospital.

According to court documents, an ensuing drug screening showed the toddler tested positive for methadone, amphetamine, acetone, and nicotine.